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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 15 The Latest on Hurricane Ian: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Storm Ian is nearing hurricane strength again over the Atlantic Ocean after swirling past Cape Canaveral, where NASA moved its moon rocket back into its Kennedy Space Center hangar as a precaution. A NASA spokesperson said Thursday that teams were out starting to assess any damage. The space center remained closed and off limits to almost all of its 12,000 employees. A storm surge of 2 feet (0.6 meters) was forecast for the surrounding area, and top sustained winds grew to nearly 70 mph (110 kph) with higher gusts at midday. Besides bumping the lunar-orbiting test flight likely into November, the weather has delayed SpaceX’s next astronaut launch to the International Space Station until at least Oct. 5, two days later than scheduled. Ian’s top … [Read more...] about Live Updates: Hurricane Ian

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 2 WASHINGTON (AP) — Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose this week for the sixth straight week, marking new highs not seen in 15 years, before a crash in the housing market triggered the Great Recession. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate climbed to 6.70% from 6.29% last week. By contrast, the rate stood at 3.01% a year ago. The average rate on 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, popular among those looking to refinance their homes, jumped to 5.96% from 5.44% last week. Rapidly rising mortgage rates threaten to sideline even more homebuyers after more than doubling in 2022. Last year, prospective homebuyers were looking at rates well below 3%. Freddie Mac noted that for a typical mortgage amount, a borrower who locked in at the higher end of the range of weekly rates over the past year would pay several hundred dollars more than a … [Read more...] about US long-term mortgage rates up for 6th week; 30-year at 6.7%

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for September 29 Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! A Massachusetts man who according to authorities preyed on people who wanted to buy homes by collecting deposits on properties that had either already been sold or were not even for sale was sentenced Wednesday to 2 1/2 years in prison, federal prosecutors said. Michael P. Flavin, 39, of Quincy, cashed more than 60 deposit checks totaling about $1.8 million over a three-year period, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston . FORMER BOSTON RIDE-HAIL DRIVER CHARGED WITH 2 COUNTS OF RAPE Flavin executed purchase and sales agreements and received deposit checks from or on behalf of the potential buyers, even though the owners of the properties had not agreed to sell to those particular buyers, prosecutors said. … [Read more...] about Massachusetts real estate agent sentenced to prison for stealing $1.8 million from buyers

Conservative media stars and far-right provocateurs found their latest outrage cycle this week when pop superstar Lizzo thrilled concertgoers by playing a 200-year-old crystal flute once owned by former President James Madison. Rather than appreciate an accomplished and classically trained flutist showing off a priceless piece of American history to her fans, right-wing pundits seethed that Lizzo’s performance was an act of “soft totalitarianism” meant to “degrade our history.” Prior to showing off the delicate instrument at a Tuesday night show in Washington, D.C., Lizzo was invited by the Library of Congress to check out its collection of more than 1,700 flutes—including the Madison one, which was given to the founding father in 1813 as a gift from French flute maker Claude Laurent. After trying out the flute, she was given permission to play it briefly during her concert this week, with the national library sending Capitol Police and staff as security to watch over the rare … [Read more...] about MAGA Media Dweebs Lose Their Shit Over Lizzo Playing James Madison’s Crystal Flute

More than a million people in Puerto Rico are without electricity on Wednesday—and many lack phone service or running water—after Hurricane Fiona battered the archipelago this week with 100 mph-plus winds and heavy rain that have so far left at least two dead, a number that could rise further, according to officials. The National Weather Service says the Category 4 storm, which overwhelmed parts of the island with up to 32 inches of rain , is headed northward toward Bermuda and parallel to the United States. Before veering off the island, the hurricane’s heavy winds and catastrophic rain caused massive flooding and mudslides, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said on Wednesday. Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi on Wednesday said that he hopes “a large part” of the island will regain power by the end of the evening. Since Tuesday, LUMA Energy announced it has restored power to about 95,000 residents—meaning only about 27 percent of the island has power, with nearly 1.1 … [Read more...] about How Fiona’s Destruction Compares to Devastating Hurricane Maria

FORT MYERS, Fla. — This was a city Thursday where yachts were parked on the street and hundreds of cars were underwater, thanks to Hurricane Ian and its deadly and destructive force . The roads that weren't flooded were lined with disemboweled homes, some stripped of their roofs, and littered with once-proud palm trees torn up by the roots that, in many cases, were snapped like matchsticks. Many downtown stores were boarded-up, while others were reduced to splinters. And at the few gas stations that reopened, there were long lines of motorists waiting to fill up. "Our boat is done," said 23-year-old Addie Maynard, who until Ian intruded Wednesday had been living on a 34-foot yacht with her boyfriend at the Old Bridge Marina in North Fort Myers. "Our marina got wiped out." Now, they're staying in a damaged high-rise condominium building near the Caloosahatchee River. But, said Maynard, at least their boat wasn't among those that the storm surge evicted from local … [Read more...] about As Fort Myers takes stock of Ian’s damage, residents look for reasons to be hopeful